The document discusses the proper use of "while" and "when" to describe past events. It explains that "while" is used to connect two continuous actions that happened simultaneously, and both actions should be in the past continuous tense. "When" is used to connect a longer action in the past continuous tense with a shorter action in the past simple tense, where one action occurred within the timeframe of the other. Examples are provided to illustrate the correct usage of "while" and "when" along with the appropriate verb tenses.